Kim Ham Min’s The Admiral: Roaring Currents

For my film review I watched Kim Ham Min’s The Admiral: Roaring Currents. The movie is based on Korea’s battle of Myeonnyang against Japan in 1597. The plot follows Korea as the underdog who resists invasion by a far more powerful Japanese army. I don’t know enough Korean and Japanese history to attest to the historically accuracy of the film, but from an entertainment point of view, I can say this was a well made movie that is quite engaging. The film is not in English so students must read subtitles to be able to follow the plot of the film. I can see some of my more antsy students getting frustrated with this, so I don’t think I would show the entire movie. I found the battle scene to be quite entertaining and it is probably the scene that I would use in the classroom. I would recommend parental consent forms be signed because some of the details can be quite gory. This movie can be used in a number of ways. For example, students can make comparisons in warfare in battles in which the underdog was able to defeat a better equipped power. One such battle my students might be able to compare is perhaps the battle of Cinco de Mayo. The movie offers a stunning look at naval vessels, artillery and weaponry and it could offer a fantastic opportunity for students to see how these were used. I am tempted to design an art lesson in which students do pencil or ink sketches of the incredible detail in the armor and ships used in battle. It would be wonderful if students could make inferences on the functions of the design of the weaponry. Lastly, this is somewhat of a stretch but as I was watching the movie I thought about how this can also be used as a tool to help students challenge stereotypes of Asian here in the United States. I believe US media does a horrible job of giving a fair representation of Asian artists, and I believe that a movie like this might come in handy as we help our students break their ideas of the emasculated model minority.
edited by nramon on 6/23/2016